The holidays are always so busy...

So, there has been some cool stuff happening, and there is soon even more to come!

1) US-Wahlparty

The US-Wahlparty was a pretty super cool event. In a building that is made to hold only 200 people, at one point, there were more than 330 in attendance and more waiting to get in. The audience/crowd was made up of all sorts of characters, from professors to German students to American ex-pats to international students... it was a blast! After some technical malfunctioning (we dealt with microphone feedback all night and some delay in linking up with CNN to display it via projector), the night went really smoothly. A series of interviews and short, interesting lectures were given, with me being the only person onstage more than once besides my boss, the head of the Trier Center for American Studies and the guy in charge of the whole event, and the emcees.

To begin with, I interviewed a master's student, Milena, about her research into American and German media portrayals of both candidates and how this affected their campaign strategies. It was kind of a bummer to meet with her the afternoon of the event and find a really interesting person who is super nice and fun to talk to... only to have her leave for the U.S. six days later. She is currently working on her master's research, which involves linguistic references to terrorism post-9/11 in Bush's speeches and in the media. So cool... she's studying something VERY similar to what I'm looking at! But, we agreed to try to meet up sometime when I return to America and before she comes back to Germany; there is a short overlap period possible, in which she will likely be in Chicago with her American boyfriend. :)

For my second appearance on stage, I was interviewed by my boss about my forecasts and perceptions about the election from a U.S. citizen and Minnesotan's view. After the ending activities, we sat around and watched CNN until I couldn't stay awake anymore, as I had been sick for about three weeks (don't worry, the cough is finally gone, and I am perfectly healthy again!). I went to bed around 1:30 am here, only 6:30 pm Central, not knowing what was going to happen, but having a pretty good idea, only to wake up at 5:30 am Germany time, only an hour after Obama had been declared winner. I unfortunately missed all the speeches, as I have no television and only very limited Internet access, which streaming video quickly eats. It's ok, though; it's very interesting living in a wholly different environment with a completely different way of staying in touch with the world.

Next installment in the "catching-up game": My day in Heidelberg.

Upcoming excitement:

- Amanda and I are planning a huge traditional Thanksgiving dinner for our international friends to show them how Americans celebrate, though it will be in actuality the day after T-Day, as we still have to attend classes all week here.

- Official opening of Trier's Weihnachtsmarkt (Christmas Market) on November 27, which will run all the way through Christmas! They've started really setting up for it today, and I am so excited!

- 2 nights in Brussels and 2 nights in Amsterdam from November 27 to December 1.

- In return for letting him crash on my floor for a few nights, my friend Romain from Lyon, France, bought me a ticket to accompany him to Die Toten Hosen concert here in Trier on December 2. Die Toten Hosen (The Dead Pants) are a well-known German rock/punk group.

- I will spend December 12-14 on an excursion in the Schwarzwald (Black Forest) with a group of about 60, on a trip organized by the International Center here on the university. Cost: only 99 Euros. Itinerary: a day in Strassburg at the Weihnachtsmarkt (said to be one of the most beautiful in Germany), nightlife in Freiburg, tours of Freiburg and the Schwarzwald, and a visit to Europapark, Germany's biggest amusement park.

- From December 15-17, my former high school teacher and good friend, Nadine, will be visiting me. She is currently teaching in Kuwait and is spending her Christmas holidays around Europe.

- I and a friend are flying to Berlin December 26-29, where we will explore the city and take a side trip to the former concentration camp, Sachsenhausen.